Rail anchor



Jan. 21, 1930. 0 5 I I 1,744,671

RAIL ANCHOR original Filed Sept. 20. 1927 I IN V EN TOR. /7 4 68963044;

- A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 21 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS R. PARSONS, OF STRONGI-IURST, ILLINOIS RAIL ANCHOR Application filed September 20, 1927, Serial No. 220,806. Renewed January 14, 1929.

This invention relates to an improvement The invention is illustrated in the accomin rail anchors, 1n the use of which the rail panying drawmgs,1n which: is anchored with respect to the tie agamst F lgure 1 1s a sectional view through the rail longitudinal creeping. with the improved rail anchor applied in p- The inventlon comprehends a unitary or erative positlon, the tie being shown 1n ele- 55 integral structure which may be readily convatlon.

nected to or disconnected from the raihand Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, which when in place will have such relation to the rail anchor being shown in initially apthe rail and tie that any creeping tendency in plied position in dotted lines and in final operthe rail will act to compel an increased wedgative position in full lines.

ing cooperation between the rail anchor and Figure 3 is a perspective View of the rail the rail, to thereby additionally resist any anchor 011 a reduced scale. creeping tendency in the rail. The improved rail anchor, which is prefer- A further object of the invention is the ably constructed of round spring steel having provision of a rail anchor of suiiicient ina diameter approximately the lateral projecherent resiliency to permit a yield in the tion of the rail head beyond the web, comparts in applying the anchor to compensate prises a tie engaging bar 1 centrally formed for the necessary lateral movement of the with arounded ofl'setQand terminally formed anchor during its application, the anchor, in at one end with a hook 3 designed to engage reaching its final applied position, again with the edge 4: of the base flange 5 of an ormoving laterally in the opposite direction to dinary rail, which of course includes the web an extent to take up the resilient yield dur- 6 and rail head 7 with the shoulders 8 of the ing application, thus avoiding any tendency latter extended laterally beyond the web.

of a displacement of the wedging column of The tie engaging bar 1 at the end opposite the anchor during application. the hook 3 is formed in a return bend to pro- Afurther object of the invention is the provide what is termed a clamp having upper vision of a rail anchor havingaclamping jaw and lower portions or jaws 9 and 10. The

portion and a hook portion to cooperate with aws 9 and 10 of the clamp are normally subthe respective edges of the base flange and a stantially parallel in order to provide the wedging column extending from the clampresilient clamping cooperation with the reing jaw portion to underlie the ball or tread maining section 11 of the base flange of the of the rail, the resiliency of the material perrail, as will later appear, and the length of the mitting a grip of the rail flange with the tie engaging rod, that is, the distance bewedging column underlying and in contact tween t h 3 and the 1 hml 0f the with the ball of the rail, so that in tightening l g y eater than the thehsvel'se the anchor the upper edge of the wedging dhhehsloh offihe base hehge of the T311- column is driven longitudinally of the rail The upper l 9 of the Clamp h the anchor to a position approaching but somewhat less 15 extended p ly s a wedging column 40 than at right angles to the ball of the rail. T i gg 1 3 at 1 acute 1 8 1 to This wed ing action of the wedging column melomlng e 100 am C entm p i turns the anchor on the hook and clam in the clamp so that the Wedgmg Column f p e chnes toward the web 6 of the rail. The colaw as fulcrums, moving the t1e engaging bar umn lids of such length as to wedgingly 45 of the anchor tqward h b16350 a f move operate at its upper end with the shoulder mentof the rail relative to the tie, known as 8 0f the rail head 7 materially before Such ereelhhg, tends through the eoopemhleh of wedging column can reach a vertical position, the tie and tie engaging bar to move the and the upper free terminal of the wedging wedging column farther 111 a w dging dlleccolumn is preferably rounded at 13 to avoid 5 tion. Th1s tends to efiectively resist a creepany possibility of marring the surface of the ing movement of the rail. rail head in applying the anchor. e

In the application of the anchor, the clamp is engaged with one edge of the base flange of the rail, in which position the hook 3 will underlie the base flange immediately adjacent the other edge of such flange and the wedging column 12 will rest with its upper end beneath the shoulder 8 and in contact therewith though of course the wedging column owing to its length will be at a substantial inclination from the vertical as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The anchor is then driven into place, by blows of a hammer or other implement on the end of the clamp, until the hook 3 springs over the edge 4 of the base flange of the rail. In this movement the rail anchor moves laterally or transversely of the rail, and as the wedging column 12 was initially applied to engage beneath the rail head substantially at the juncture of the web therewith, this lateral movement of the anchor as a whole tends to exert a bending pressure on the wedging column. As the material of the anchor is of spring steel, the wedging column yields under this pressure, that is, is put under compression. As the hook 3 snaps into place, and the hook end of the anchor rises relative to the base flange, this compression on the wedging column is largely relieved, but the relief acts merely to relieve the compression without causing any corresponding and independent movement of the wedging column. The wedging column is then driven longitudinally of the rail, by blows on the upper end of such column, until a secure wedging cooperation between the column and rail head is secured. In this wedging movement of the wedging column it will of course gradually approach a vertical position, and the relation of the parts are such that the maximum wedging action possible under the blows of an appropriate tool causes the wedging column, when in applied position, to remain at an inclination short of the vertical, as indicated in full lines in Figure 2.

The engaging edge of the hook 3 is inclined slightly inwardly from the vertical, as indicated at 14, and as the jaws of the clamp are substantially parallel, and the upper surface of the base flange of the rail inclined, said jaws in cooperation with the base flange, engage the latter at substantially two points 15 and 16 inwardly of the free edge of the base flange. As the material of which the anchor is constructed is circular in cross section and is of spring steel, the point contact of the hook and clamping jaws described provides a rolling fulcrum for the anchor as a whole during the wedging movement of the wedging column without interrupting the clamping cooperation of the anchor with the base flange of the rail.

It is of course to be understood that that portion of the anchor underlying the base flange of the rail bears snugly against the tie 17, the offset 2 serving to not only increase the resiliency of the anchor as a whole, for convenient application, but also providing an increased tie contacting surface.

As previously stated, when the rail anchor in finally applied the wedging column is inclined to the vertical, with its upper end in rear of the edge of the tie relative to the di rection in which the rail tends to creep under the travel of the train, which creeping direction is indicated by the arrow in Figure 2. Incident to this arrangement it will be at once apparent that any tendency in the rail to creep causes that portion of the anchor in contact with the tie to be moved in such direction as to increase the wedging cooperation of the wedging column with the rail head. As this wedging cooperation is initially at a maximum under a driving action in setting the anchor, it is apparent that the resistance to a further wedging action will tend to prevent any creeping action of the rail relative to the tie.

The rail anchor is easily removed by driving downwardly on the free end of the hook 3, the wedging column yielding in its resiliency to permit this movement without breakage. As the hook rides below the lower surface of the base flange of the rail, the tension of the wedging column and the bearing of the clamping jaw on the inclined surface of the base flange of the rail will act to displace the anchor, though obviously the anchor may be driven laterally if desired or if necessary.

The improved anchor provides a means for preventino' creeping of the rail relative to the tie not on y through contact of the anchor with the tie but through the tendency of the relative movement of the rail and tie to exert a wedging action between the anchor and rail, with such wedging action initially at such a maximum as to in itself serve to prevent rail movement. That is to say, the initial wedging cooperation between the rail anchor and the rail is of such a maximum in the application of the rail anchor that the force on the rail tending to cause its creeping is not sufficient to increase this wedging action, and hence the rail cannot move.

What I claim to be new is:

1. A rail anchor adapted for clamping cooperation with the base flange of a rail and having a portion to bear against the supporting tie, said rail anchor including a wedging column bearing when applied between the rail head and base flange, said wedging column engaging the head substantially at its juncture with the web and engaging the base flange at a point remote from the web, said wedging column being further inclined with respect to a vertical plane passing transversely through the rail and with respect to the vertical axis of the anchor.

2. A rail anchor having a portion to underlie the base flange of the rail in position to be engaged by the tie, means at the respective ends of such portion to engage the edges of the base flange of the rail, and a wedging column rising from one of said means and engaging at its free end under the head of the rail, said wedging column extending between said rail head and base flange in a line substantially at right angles to the under side of the rail head at its juncture with the web.

3. A rail anchor having a portion to underlie the base flange of the rail in position to be engaged by the tie, means at the respective ends of such portion to engage the edges of the base flange of the rail, and a wedging column rising from one of said means and engaging at its free end under the head of the rail, said wedging column extending between said rail head and base flange in a line substantially at right angles to the under side of the rail head at its juncture with the web, the length of the wedging column preventing said column in the application of the anchor from assuming a position directly vertical with respect to the rail.

4. A rail anchor including a section to underlie the base flange of the rail, a hook at one end of said section, a clamp at the opposite end of said section formed by a return bend to provide upper and lower aws to embrace and bear squarely against the opposing surfaces of the base flange, and a wedging column rising from one of said jaws in the plane of the jaws of the clamp in one direction and inclined with respect to a vertical plane passing transversely through said jaws and with respect to the vertical axis of the anchor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LOUIS R. PARSONS. 

